What Morning Brings
by Dreamer of Riddles
Summary: In the Fields of Flanior, monsters roam. Among tight bonds of friendship, deeper feelings lie. Deeper feelings lead to deeper injuries...[Genis x Presea] [Please R&R]


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What Morning Brings**

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I know, I'm horrible. I haven't updated anything in ages. Well. I'm just going to post this little one-shot about my favorite in-game Symphonia couple: Genis x Presea.

But I am working on the next chapter of RWBR! If you haven't read RWBR, then...go read it!

But please just sit back and enjoy my seemingly pointless Angst and Romance FLUFF! -cheers-

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_What Morning Brings_

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"Awww, come on, Professor! It's just some harmless little penguins! Please! We can't just waltz into the Temple of Ice without training a bit, and the Fields of Flanior are perfect!" Lloyd Irving pleaded over breakfast at the Inn in Flanior.

Raine Sage wasn't moved by his passion to train. In fact, she looked content just sitting at her spot at the table by the fire, sipping her cup of nice hot tea. Beside her, Sheena Fujibayashi also looked happy just being warm for a few more hours, until treading through the dreaded snows to Flanior.

"Come on, Professor! Genis! You agree with me right, _best_ pal?" Lloyd asked, turning to his 12-year-old mage-friend. Genis Sage glanced at him warily.

"Lloyd, you're over-enthusiastic about this. We all know that after a few battles, you're just going to start complaining about the cold, the snow, the wind..." Genis began, ticking things off with his fingers.

"Stop being so hard on him, everyone! A little training never hurt anyone, and we can always come back to the town if we get cold." Chimed the cheery voice of Colette Brunel. The blonde girl smile at Lloyd, who returned her gesture.

"See! The Chosen said we should go train." Lloyd said, as though this would convince everyone. Instead of people agreeing, Zelos Wilder appeared at the foot of the stairs, having woken up and arrived just in time to hear the words of Genis, Colette, and Lloyd.

"Well, this Chosen agrees with the brat for once. It's warm in here, and cold out there. It' doesn't take a genius to tell that we should stay in here where it's warm...even if just for another hours or so." He said. Sheena glared at him.

"Hell, Zelos. I know you're just looking to go wooing the town girls because it's awful cold at night without one of your hunnies to keep you warm in bed!" she snapped. Zelos just grinned at her.

"Very good, Sheena! Of course, it'd be easier if you'd just keep me warm instead, my future hunny!" Zelos replied, walking over to the table and plunking down beside Lloyd, and right across from Sheena, who was steaming. The latter was about to yell something when a strangely calm voice came from the chair next to Genis.

"We shouldn't be arguing. It is cold...but we must go to the Temple eventually, and will run into monsters on the way. We can train on the way to the Temple, and get back to warmth as soon as possible." Said Presea Combatir. Genis grinned, and his cheeks turned pink slightly.

"G-Great idea, Presea! That's thinking smart." He practically chirped. Lloyd, Raine, and Colette all sighed.

Presea staying silent, just nodding. She had come far since Lloyd and the others had restored her to her true self. She had learned many new abilities to help her in battle, learned what a compliment was, and...remembered emotions she had long forgotten. Love, Forgiveness...what it felt like to know that someone liked you.

The latter was the most often-occurring. Raine had told her one day when she asked why Genis's face kept turning red that the young boy liked her. This was apparently a good thing, because Presea figured Raine would have said something if it was a bad thing.

"Fine...we'll go train, make a pact with the Summon Spirit, and then come straight back to the Inn." Raine said, before muttering something only Genis heard. "At least we aren't near water."

The silver-headed boy snickered. His sister's fear, however...bad-ish, was rather funny. The rest of the meal passed in rather excited scattered conversation. Colette and Lloyd laughed and ran up to get their things, and Sheena and Zelos soon follow arguing. Raine soon went to go break them up and maybe hit a few heads when a crash and an "Oops. That was such a pretty vase..." came from upstairs. Regal Bryant, a blue-haired convict, left to calm Raine.

That left Genis and Presea. The latter stared quietly at the cackling fire, every once and a while taking a spoonful of her oatmeal. The former pretended to be examining one of his magic books, but was really thinking of the latter.

"Are you...looking forward to training?" Genis asked, curios. Presea looked up at him.

"I am fine...I don't wish to cause any more arguments between Lloyd and Professor Raine." She said, putting another spoon of oatmeal in her mouth.

"I hear it's rather brutal, but I'm sure we'll be just fine. We can't really get lost, because we have Noishe, and me. I'll protect you!" He promised. Presea gave him that calm look.

"Ok..."

* * *

Soon, the group found themselves standing at the exit to the Fields of Flanior. Raine made sure that everything they needed was strapped one Noishe's back , and then nodded.  
  
"I think we're ready. Let's go. According to my data, the Temple of Ice is just...southeast of here." Raine said. Lloyd enthusiastically nodded.

"Yeah! Let's get going! Woot!" he cheered, and Genis shook his head and sighed. Presea almost giggled. It was...rather funny, the relationship between them.

She looked over in time to see Regal look away from her. He was smiling. She guessed that he was happy to hear her giggling. He was...happy when she was happy. Presea had had a hard time looking at him since he confessed to killing Alicia Combatir...

_"I'll try to...forgive you."_

Presea bit her lip as her own voice echoed throughout her head. Yes. She was...trying to forgive him, but...her little sister, Alicia, had been so young.

So as the party began the trek across the snowy fields, she kept thinking about those years with the Pope, when she lost herself...within herself. The crystal...the Sacred Wood...meeting Genis...they had all led up to this moment. Up until the moment Lloyd and Genis freed her, she had been just...drifting along, not caring, just obeying.

The battles they fought against the monsters the prowled the Fields of Flanior were rather easy. Genis's fire-based spells did large amounts of damage, and Presea's new ax she had customized in Flanior, the Strike Ax, was charged with the power of lightning, and dealt some good damage. Lloyd and Colette fought close together, protecting each other, and Genis while he cast his spells. Zelos was always ready to heal someone, especially Sheena, as was Raine. Regal fought (kicked) hard and fast to protect Presea...even though Presea didn't think she really needed protected. Even though she was small, she had the strength of several full-grown men, and she was a force to be reckoned with.

"Come on! See, Professor? I told you these ice spiders and penguins were that hard! We're halfway to the Ice Temple!" Lloyd cheered. Colette smiled happily. Raine nodded.

"The key words there is "half-way". Who knows what could happen from now, until the Ice Temple. And then, what dangers lurk in the Ice Temple?" she pointed our. Lloyd's spirits visibly dampened.

"Oh...right...well, we can have fun beating up on these easy enemies before the Temple!" he said, nodding.

A few minutes a dead penguins away, Presea got a feeling. A very familiar feeling. The feeling that someone bad was about to happen. The company walked on, treading over fields upon fields of snow and ice, and she looked around. Snow and ice...were all she saw. This bad feeling...must be nothing.

Genis's teeth were chattering slightly. Even though his half-elf-ness made him slightly immune to this kind of cold, that didn't stop him from thinking that it was cold, and that made him cold. He was, after all, only wearing shorts and short sleeves.

The hairs on the back of Presea's neck prickled. Something was watching her. It was an unnerving feeling. She shivered slightly, both out of the cold, and from that feeling.

"A monster is near." She said, and everyone turned to look at her.

"Really? I don't see anything." Sheena said, looking around.

"Maybe our Little One is getting too cold!" Zelos exclaimed, only to receive a well-placed bap from Sheena. Genis looked at Presea with a mixture of wonder and concern.

"Are you getting cold, Presea?" he asked. Presea shook her head, and held the cloak she had been wearing tighter around her shoulder.

"No. I'm just fine, but there is something coming. Am I the only one who feels this?" she asked.

Before anyone could open their mouths in reply, a roar sounded. Everyone whipped around, and eyes went wide as meatballs. Out of the ground, shot a...worm. Well, it was a giant worm. Raine quickly whipped out a Magic Lens. Gazing through the Lens, she watched as the stats scrolled out before her eyes.

"It's a Silver Worm! Lloyd! We must be on its territory!" Raine shouted. Lloyd drew his twin swords, and shouted to the rest.

"We'll just have to fight past it! Be ready everyone!" he called.

The Silver was ready. It slithered fully out of the ground, and Presea could have sworn that it _smirked _at them, revealing endless rows of tiny sharp teeth, ready to eat them all up, maybe two at a time.

Lloyd attacked with Fierce Demon Fang, not daring to get to close to it. Colette attacked with Angel Feathers, following Lloyd's example. Zelos was daring enough to run in close enough to perform Hell Pyre on it, causing a lot of damage.

Genis stayed behind Lloyd and Colette, and began to charge up an Explosion spell. THAT would get it. Raine waited, ready to heal should the worm launch an attack.

It did, furiously mad for being hit so many times in a row. It gave off its roar again, and shot a beam out of it's mouth. Lloyd and Colette managed to get their Guardian and Damage Guard up in time, but Zelos got hit.

"OUCH! DAMN worm..." he growled. Sheena quickly cast T. Seal Fire on Lloyd's weapon.  
  
"I'm going in, guys! Watch my back." He called, charging in a slashing the worm's belly. Zelos ran in with him, and Presea skirted around the outside, until she could hit the worm's tail.

The monster roared in pain, and reared up over the three fighters, and dove into the ground. Genis managed to cast Explosion in time to catch it's lower half. Raine quickly cast Nurse, and healed everyone. Lloyd looked around, worried.

"Where is it?" Sheena asked, looking around. Genis was about to answer when the ground before him disfigured and rumbled. He took a few steps backwards, and Lloyd and Zelos ran over to be ready to strike.

"I promised I'd protect Presea...so here I go!..."

The Silver reared it's ugly head, but it was facing Genis, when the half-elf thought it would be facing Lloyd, because his logic told him so. The worm readied a deadly bite attack. Genis fumbled with his kendama, trying to ready his Force Field. In a rush of black and pink, something shoved him out of the way and into a pile of snow. In a rush of cold, it clicked in Genis's smart mind.

"PRESEA! NO!"

* * *

It was all a...rather sudden decision, running to save Genis. She just couldn't stand there while Genis got bitten to death. Lloyd shouted, and tried to get to him, but was held back by Colette, who was saying something about "Don't be a fool! No one should be a sacrifice! Genis will be fine!"

Raine also shouted something, probably trying to stop her from running into the attack, but there was nothing she could do to stop Presea. The worm whipped it's tail, and almost knocked out Sheena, but Zelos ran in and blocked with his shield. No one else would have been able to save Genis! Regal was clear on the other side of the battlefield, waiting in case the worm came up on that side.

Shoving Genis out of the way, well, that was no hard feat. He was a small boy, even though she was around the same size, she was stronger. The worm was another thing. It came down upon her before she could bring up her Earthly Protection.

Pain seared through her arm and shoulder. It was more of a painful head-butt than a bite attack, but the impact sent her flying through the air. She shut her eyes tight as she landed hard on her side in the snow. Her ears were ringing, and her arm was on fire. She lost track of her ax, but...she didn't remember having it when she shoved Genis. Presea concluded that she must have dropped the Strike Ax before she ran.

_An...unwise decision. _

She faintly heard screams and shouts, and the finally...

"GROUND DASHER!"

Everyone, excluding Presea, looked over to see Genis standing there, seething with anger, worry, with a painful expression on his face. He lowered his kendama, as the worm fell to the ground, dead obviously. Raine ran over to her little brother, but he shoved her away, and dashed over to the fallen form of his friend.

"Presea! PLEASE! Wake up...please...I'm sorry...I'm such a troublemaker! First I put Marble in danger, then I got Lloyd exiled...and now you!" Genis shouted as he fell into the snow beside her. His eyes widened...at the site of her arm.

The impact saved her from a more fatal injury, but the teeth had caught in her skin and ripped and tore at her arm. There were a handful of good-size welts up and down her arm, and lots of scratches upon her fingers. On her palm, a good size cut, around 4.5 inches long, was bleeding heavily.

"RAINE! Please! You can heal her!" Genis pleaded as everyone gathered around the fallen girl. Raine inspected the wounds.

"Yes...but my magic will only do so much. I'm concerned about possible infection. We should take her to the doctor in Flanior, and have him look at her. I'll seal the wounds to the best of my abilities." She said, kneeling down beside her little brother, stroking him to try and calm him down.

She pulled out her staff, and grasped the Unicorn Horn in one hand, and placed the tip of the staff upon Presea's arm. A soft light resonated.

"First Aid." Raine whispered softly, wishing that Kratos were here for support. She was sure he would have known what to do...

The wounds stopped bleeding.

"First Aid."

They sealed, but just barely.

"First Aid!"  
  
A small moan escaped Presea's blue lips. Hope sparked in Genis's heart.

"Presea! Are you ok?!" he asked. Her eyes opened for a minute, but they were hazed over with pain and fatigue.

"Genis...you are safe. No injuries...detected." She murmured, before gently closing her eyes.

Genis's eyes went wide. Raine continued to stroke the boy's hair, telling him that it would be fine. Lloyd nodded, an arm around Colette, holding her hand tightly. Sheena whistled for Noishe, getting ready to make haste for Flanior. Zelos helped her. Regal gently eased Presea's upper body into his lap. Genis...just stared at her, worried and concerned.

"Presea...no. It was all my fault..."

* * *

"Well, you're lucky you got her here so quickly, and that you sealed her wounds so well. She should be fine with a few stitches in her hand, and her wounds kept in bandages, that should be changed often. I'll give you the stuff to stitch her hand, and the right ointment-!!" said the voice of the doctor, ringing through Presea's foggy head.

"What?! Can't you stitch her arm? You're the doctor!" exclaimed Genis, a voice she knew oh so well.

"I'm busy! Terribly! I can't take the time to do something like that! You're a talented healer, Miss Sage! You can stitch her arm with little trouble!" the doctor retorted. Raine's calm voice cut Genis off before he could say anything.

"Thank you for your time, doctor. We appreciate it." she said coolly. Presea felt someone lifting her up, and guessed it was Zelos. Regal would have been able to, and she doubted Lloyd...

She slipped back into her lulling sleep, the last thing heard...was Genis begging Raine. Begging his sister to save her...

* * *

"Presea? Please, you must wake up." Raine's voice came again, just a short while later. Presea tried to open her eyes, and after a few tries she succeeded. Everything was a little hazy, but soon her room in the Inn came into focus. She had been propped up on extra pillows from the bed that Regal had been sleeping in. Her left arm (the arm that had been damaged), was fixed in some crude bandages.

Raine sat to her left, with a few sharply curved needles, some black thread, and a jar of ointment, along with some bandages. Genis sat to her left, holding a bowl of Meat Stew and a spoon. He broke into the biggest smile when he saw her awake.

"Are you feeling ok?" Genis asked. Presea thought for a minute. She felt...groggy, and rather tired. Like she just got out of a hot bath, except her arm was stinging dully.

"I'm fine. I...blundered, didn't I?" she replied. Raine shook her head.

"What you did was brave, but...without merit. I'm going to have to stitch your hand up, and put this ointment on your arm to help it heal." Raine explained. Presea tried to keep her face blank.

"I have some food in case you're hungry. You can eat while Raine stitches your arm, to take your mind off what Raine's doing." Genis said, blushing slightly. "I know Meat Stew is your favorite..."

Presea slowly nodded, and watched with a blank look on her face as Raine pressed ice again her hand to numb it. She turned away, willing herself not to look at her hand. She instead looked at Genis, and accepted the spoon her offered her. He held the bowl close to her, and she spooned the meaty broth and chunks of vegetables into her mouth. It tasted so good...

"This is going to hurt..." Raine warned, although Presea didn't really hear much. All she got was "hurt".

"Pain...is not unfamiliar to me." She whispered, before loosing herself in the warmth. The warmth of the Meat Stew, the warmth of the blankets around her, the warmth of Genis's even breaths on her forehead...

She dropped her spoon out of surprise when she faintly felt something gently prod into the skin of her palm. Genis caught it, and set the bowl of stew on the nightstand beside him, cleaning the spoon on his shirt. Presea suppressed a shiver when she hazily felt a piece of thread slip in and out of her skin. Raine was sewing her up like a rag doll. Sure she couldn't really feel much, but...the thoughts were enough to make her sick.

"Can you eat anymore?" Genis asked, putting the now clean spoon into the half-empty bowl.

"...No. I'm sorry. It was very good. Thank you, Genis." She replied, biting her lip, trying not to think about herself as a rag doll, but instead as a human being. Bitter thoughts entered her head.

_But that's what I was for 16 years...just a rag doll, doing whatever the Pope wanted. This is...a fitting punishment for try to be a hero when I'm not. _

A knock came on the door. Regal walked in, and grimaced at the sight of Raine's black-threaded needle. He smiled kindly at Presea and Genis. Lloyd and Colette walked in after Regal, holding hands.

"Raine, I was talking with Lloyd, and he said it would be a good idea if we moved to Altimera." Regal began. Colette nodded.

"Yes. It's much to cold here for a speedy recovery. We'll all have a lot more fun in Altimera!" she said, in what sounded like a rather forced cheerful voice. Lloyd nodded.

"Yeah. We all want you better as soon as possible, Presea." Lloyd agreed, and Regal nodded this time. Genis smiled.

"Great idea, Lloyd! We can leave as soon as Raine finishes up wi-!!" Genis began, but Presea's shout of pain cut him off.

"Ahhhh!" she shouted, her face contorting in pain and mild surprise. Raine gasped as a bit of blood spilled from the wound.

"I'm sorry! The numbness must have worn off..." she stuttered. Genis glared at his sister.

"Raine! The point was to not make it HURT." He shouted. Lloyd spoke up.

"I'm sure she's trying her best, Genis. Yelling isn't going to help at all." He said, trying to calm his friend.

Presea tried to think; think about anything besides that needle. It was hard, though. The needle stung like a thousand bees, and even with Raine pressing a cold rag against her half-stitched wound, it stung like fire. The thoughts sent a shiver up her spine, and a chill through her heart, no matter how warm it was in this bed.

Finally, after three more minutes of suppressed screams and complaints, Raine tied the knot, and snipped the thread. Presea dared herself to look. Her hand was neatly sewn up.

_Just like a rag doll, _she thought bitterly, but she nodded in thanks anyways.

"We'll just bandage those wounds, and get going to Altimera while it's still light outside." Raine said, and it dawned on Presea that it must be...midafternoon. That Meat Stew had been her lunch, apparently. Genis smiled.

"See? Everything's just fine!" Genis cheered.

Even though everything wasn't alright. He had sworn to protect her, and the guilt he had been hiding was beginning to surface again in the depths of his mind. He had SAID that he would protect her...but now, she was in pain. _Because of me...it's all my fault...

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The flight to Altimera was uneventful. Presea slept most of the way, sharing a Rehaird with Regal while hers trailed behind of a rope. The hum on the machine kept her asleep, and she woke up in time to get off the Rehaird and walk forward as Genis led her up to the hotel room that Lloyd had flown ahead and booked in advance.

"Your suite's on the top floor! Please enjoy your stay!" chimed the cheery girl behind the counter as she handed the room ID card to Raine.

Genis gave the card to her, smiling kindly. Raine talked to Lloyd for a minute, and then turned back to them.

"Presea, you can head up to the room and rest. Lloyd and the others want to go to the beach, and Regal is going to visit his company. I-I'm going to stay with the children on the BEACH...not in the water, but on the DRY sand." Raine said, giving Lloyd a look. Presea nodded.

Even when she got to the room, and saw the comfy beds, she didn't feel tired. She had already slept enough today, and her arm was bugging her to much to sleep. The ointment that Raine had applied was making her arm itch, and it smelled like peppermints. She hadn't eaten a peppermint since Alicia went away. Having her sister gone and now dead took the fun and purpose out of candy.

She chose the bed by the balcony and window, laying down by not sleeping. She let her thoughts drift to Genis. She had seen the guilty look on his face in the room in Flanior. He most likely blamed himself for her wounding, and was...too young to realize that it had been her choice to save his damn life.

Her life had not been the same since that day in the Martel Cathedral in Meltokio, when Genis had said "She's cute...". At the time, she had not known what "cute" was, but she personally didn't care at the time.

When Lloyd had saved her, she had thanked him, but it had really been...Lloyd at _Genis's_ request that had saved her. Genis liked her, he had saved her, and finally today she had repaid her dept and saved him.

The thing that stood out most was that Genis liked her.

"He likes me...but...I am too old." Presea told herself.

That stung her heart. She...she liked Genis. He was nice, and not afraid to tell off or sass to someone much older to him. He had...something about him that made people respect him. It might have been his brain, or perhaps his personality.

Whatever the reason, she knew that in her heart she loved him. He may be a little too young to be _loving_ someone, but she wasn't, however young she looked. She loved him enough to jump in front of a giant ice worm and almost get her armed mauled off...

"You are too old for him." She told herself again, for the first time in a while holding back tears of sorrow.

_You're too old for him..._

_Too old for him..._

_Too old for Genis...

* * *

_

Presea must have fallen into a daze, between awake and asleep. She faintly heard the sound of the door opening, and sat up to see who it was. It was Genis, looking like he just changed from his suit to her normal clothes at the changing tent at the beach, for his hair was rather damp.

"I'm sorry if I woke you up!" he quickly apologized, walked over to the bed nearest to hers. She shook her head.

"I wasn't really asleep." She replied. Genis smiled, stuffing his swimsuit into the bag he had dropped at the foot of the bed.

"I found something at the beach for you. I hope you like it!" Genis said, walking over and sitting at the foot of her bed. He opened his palm and revealed a good sized piece of sandstone. It was smooth, and perfect for crafting.

"Sandstone, right?" Presea asked, taking the stone from his hands. He nodded.

"Lloyd told me how you like to craft things, and you gave my that wooden teddy bear in Meltokio that you crafted, so I thought you might enjoy making something out of sandstone." He explained. Presea half-smiled and nodded.

"Thank you, Genis. I'll be sure to make something nice out of it." she replied, turned the stone over in her hands a few times, before placing it on the nightstand beside her.

"How's your arm?" he asked. She looked over at the neatly wrapped bandages, and shuddered at the smell of the peppermint oil she had been trying to ignore.

"It's fine. I'll be able to fight tomorrow..." she said. Genis's eyes went wide with horror.

"NO! You can't go fighting in the Ice Temple with us tomorrow! You're not fully recovered!" he cried. Presea stared at him for a minute.

"Genis, I fight with my right arm. My left arm shouldn't get in my way." She explained. Genis shook his head.

"You shouldn't be going out in battle when you've got an injured arm! Even a dunce like Lloyd knows when to stop and take a break for a while, especially when he's hurt." He countered.

Silence fell over the bed. Presea thought long and hard about her next question, much like Regal had always told he to do.

"You...really do care about me, don't you?" she asked. Genis's face flushed.

"Y-Yes! You can't get hurt anymore on my behalf!" he proclaimed, concern running through his mind.

Once again, Presea was silent. In one chamber of her mind, she was happy. Genis had actually said that he liked her. She felt so...happy, for the first time in a long time. In another chamber of her mind, she was...troubled. She was too old...

"Genis...I'm sorry." She said softly. The boy's eyes filled with sorrow, but mostly confusion.

"B-But...I _really_ like you, Presea!!" he cried, his mouth hanging open slightly. She averted her gaze, his eyes almost to much for her.

"I...like you too, but...I was too old for you the day you were born." She replied, staring at her hand, stitches gleamed in the dusky light of sunset.

"What do you mean?! You're the same age as me!!" he asked.

"No. I'm 27 and a half years old, Genis." She said. He looked baffled when she gazed at him again.

"...the hell?! You're 12!!" he cried. Presea shook her head.

"Let me tell you a short story. Once, there was a girl. She woke up on day, and saw the face in the mirror lie...To her dismay, she saw the child within her die...and she ran to the other room of her house, the one without a mirror, her eyes resting upon the knife she used to add detail to her craftwork. It was then she thought of giving the knife a new purpose, a new home...A new home in the deepest chamber of her heart!" she said bitterly.

"Who was this girl?!" Genis asked, his eyes wide. Presea looked him right in the innocent blue eyes.

"Me."

Genis was dumbfounded with shock, and stayed silent.

"I was taken by the Pope when I was 11, and by the time I was 12, I was done growing for a while. Time wasn't moving...and yet, at the same time it was. I wasn't aging, but time was moving forward." Presea said. Genis stared at her.

"So...wait...that would mean that 16 years have passed since that happened!" he said, slowly piecing everything together. Presea nodded.

"You're a smart boy, Genis. Alicia...she's my younger sister. I was only three when she was born. When I was 11, and she was 8, the Pope came looked for a person to grow a Cruxis Crystal on, and they originally chose Alicia, because they thought that younger children would be easier I made them take me instead, so she could grow up like a normal child." Presea said, a small tear pricking the corner of her eye.

Genis scooted closer to her. His gaze was soft. His eyes begged her to continue.

"They let me return to Ozette, after giving me the task of cutting and preparing the Sacred Wood...Alicia went away when she was 18, and I would have been 21...but I wasn't. I was almost like a rag doll, never aging while all the children I used to know grew up and went away. My father died, but I remained oblivious to that fact, much like I was to my sister's murder." She continued.

She curled her legs up, and looked out to face the sunset. Genis turned to look at it with her. She was silent for a minute, but turned when she heard the sound of a stifled sob. Her eyes softened. Genis was crying.

She wrapped her arm around him, and pulled him over into her lap. He buried his face in her shoulder, crying. She sat up a little straighter, remembering the times she would comfort Alicia. Genis was filled with new respect for the girl, and at the same time his love for her deepened greatly. She had been through so much...

"Presea...please...It was my fault that your arm was hurt! I'm sorry...I'll be better! My heart...it won't change..." he cried, and would have said more, but hiccuped instead.

Presea slowly rubbed his back soothingly with one hand, holding him loosely with her injured arm, which didn't seem to matter anymore. Nothing really mattered at the moment, except the boy in her arms.

It was at this time she was reminded of the song she used to sing Janet, a girl she babysat in Ozette when she was little, and Alicia. She looked at the door, and guessed that the others would have been back by now, guessing that the others would have some back by now.

Presea wasn't that worried about Regal finding them like this, but he might feel weird...after all, it was she that was supposed to go off to the Bryant family instead of Alicia. Regal knew this, but stayed quiet. She thanked him for this.

A rather loud hiccup-sob-combination brought her back to the present situation. _Yes...my song..._she thought, before singing in a soothing, soft voice.

_Sleep, little baby, don't you cry_

_While the stars shine in the sky_

_All through the night_

_Dream pleasant things_

_You never know what morning brings_

_Hush, little baby, don't you cry_

_While the moon sleeps in the sky _

_All though the night_

_Dream pleasant things_

_You never know what morning brings_

_You never know what morning brings..._

"When morning comes, Presea, promise you'll be there with me! Please! I don't care about the Crystal or anything else. My best friend once told me that...it doesn't matter, because you're still YOU!" Genis suddenly cried.

Presea thought for a minute. She had often heard Lloyd tell this to Colette, which one suggested something more between them to her. Did Genis...really care that much about her? Maybe he was...right. She appeared only around his age, and they could grow up and live happily together.

Then again, it would always nag in the depths of her mind. She was 27 and a half years old! If it weren't for the Pope, she would have been...more than twice his age, his height...

_Does it really matter though? Was it...fate that I was dragged into the Pope's plan. Maybe it was fate to...make sure that I would have the choice to be with Genis right now. _

_Seize the moment..._

"I'll be there...in the morning. I promise. Now, sleep...Genis." Presea said, hugging him closer; hugging with as strong as grip as her arm would. Genis smiled softly.

"Sing me the rest of the song..." he mumbled, barely still awake. Presea smiled.

_I'll be there when the morning comes_

_So don't you worry little one_

_All through the night _

_Dream pleasant things_

_You never know what morning brings...

* * *

_

When Genis awoke in the morning, he found himself lying in the bed beside Presea. Her injured arm lay on the covers between them, and someone had tucked him under the covers.

He was about to snuggle closer and fall back asleep until Lloyd or Raine woke him up, when he realized that something was lying under his pillow. He reached under, and pulled out a figure.

It was two dragons, carved so their noses and the tips of their tails were touching. They wings were folded unto their backs, which were arched. All together they were carved in the shape of a heart. He blinked for a minute, but broke into a smile. The figure was made of sandstone. A sun and a moon were carved in the middle of the dragon-heart, and these words etched along the bottom.

_You never know what morning brings..._

Genis continued to smile, holding the figure close, he snuggled close to its creator. Before he lay his head back down on the pillow, he just ever-so lightly kissed Presea on the cheek.

"You never know what morning brings..."

* * *

**_FINISHED_**

Well? How you folks like? I think it's pretty good. Tell me how you think in a review, why don't you?  
  
I do accept all kinds of review. You can flame me if you want, but they will be ignored and used to burn random objects of supposed power. Like the White House, and a pile of forks. I also apologize for the formating troubles. I'll fix it when I don't have so many things to do. . 

Hope you enjoyed!

The Story Master 125


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